Understanding the Importance of English Education in South Korea and Exploring the Reasons Why South Korean Students Come to a University in the Midwest



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38 
Chapter Four 
Analysis and Results 
Introduction 
In the interview process with 30 Korean students, the researcher interviewed 16 
male Korean students and 14 female Korean students. Particularly, there were 9 male 
Korean students and 8 female Korean students who were in Kearney over six months, 
and 7 male Korean students and 6 female Korean students arrived in Kearney in Fall 
2013. Moreover, there were 8 Korean students who want to graduate from UNK, and 22 
Korean students were attending UNK for a short period of time as exchange students or 
visiting students. Table 2 shows the students’ majors and year of schools. 
Table 2 
Thirty Korean Students’ General Information 
Interviewee’s Name 
Gender 
Year of School 
Major 

Mary 
Female 
Freshman 
English Education 
** James 
Male 
Freshman 
Business Administration 

Patricia 
Female 
Junior 
English Literature 

Linda 
Female 
Junior 
English Literature 
** John 
Male 
Freshman 
Aviation 
** Barbara 
Female 
Freshman 
Biology 

Robert 
Male 
Senior 
English Literature 

Michael 
Male 
Senior 
Information & Communication Tech 

Elizabeth 
Female 
Junior 
Information Society 
Table 2 continues 


39 
Interviewee’s Name 
Gender 
Year of School 
Major 

William 
Male 
Senior 
Electronic Engineering 

Jennifer 
Female 
Senior 
Advanced Material Engineering 

David 
Male 
Junior 
Business Administration 
** Richard 
Male 
Sophomore 
Psychology 

Charles 
Male 
Junior 
Sport Administration 

Maria 
Female 
Junior 
International Economics & Law 

Joseph 
Male 
Senior 
Economics 

Thomas 
Male 
Senior 
Economics 

Christopher 
Male 
Senior 
Information & Communication Tech 

Daniel 
Male 
Senior 
Food Industrial Management 
** Susan 
Female 
Sophomore 
Business Administration 

Margaret 
Female 
Junior 
Industrial Management Engineering 

Paul 
Male 
Junior 
Electronic Engineering 

Dorothy 
Female 
Senior 
English Education 
** Lisa 
Female 
Freshman 
Music Performance 

Nancy 
Female 
Senior 
Korean Literature 

Karen 
Female 
Senior 
English Literature 

Betty 
Female 
Junior 
English Literature 

Mark 
Male 
Senior 
Business Administration 
** Donald 
Male 
Sophomore 
Mechanical Engineering 
** George 
Male 
Senior 
Business Administration 
Note: All names are pseudonyms. 
*Designates students matriculating in a South Korean university 
**Designates students matriculating at UNK 
Summary of Findings 
The purposes for studying abroad in the United States.  Significantly, 20 out 
of 30 Korean students mentioned that they came to the United States to focus on 


40 
improving their English proficiency. For example, Karen stated, “I really want to study 
English while I live in English speaking countries, such as America.” Moreover, the 
other students said that they would like to be exposed daily to the environment of English 
education in the United States.
As described in Table 2, seven Korean students have studied in the realm of 
English, and seven more Korean students would like to have the following occupations: 
leadership coach, air controller, pharmacist, English teacher, psychologist, musical 
performer, and business analyst. One of the seven students, Charles, stated: 
People always think of Europe as the first destination for backpackers. On the 
other hand, people generally choose America as the first destination for studying 
in sports management. That is why I wanted to come to the United States, and 
while I stay in the United States, I want to overview the variety of American sport 
markets, such as football, baseball, basketball, and so forth and plan a future 
opportunity to find my job in Korea or around the world. 
In addition, through the interview process, the latter group of seven students said that 
these areas of studies have originated from the western cultures, so it is really beneficial 
for them to study in these areas and to have opportunities to take relevant courses through 
colleges and universities in the United States. In other words, these areas of studies have 
been specialized in the United States, and Korean students think that they are able to 
learn specific knowledge related to their studies in the United States more than in Korea.
Eight out of 30 Korean students mentioned that they want to have diverse 
experiences when they come to the United States. For example, they want to make 
friends from another country, to broaden their scope, and to live with Americans or 
foreign friends in colleges’ or universities’ dormitories. Specifically, 6 out of the 8 
Korean students who want to have diverse experiences said that they want to understand 


41 
the cultural differences between Korea and America. In addition, 4 out of these 8 Korean 
students commented that they would like to experience how American college students 
study at colleges and universities in the United States. One of those students, Paul, stated: 
I heard from someone that the teaching style of Korean colleges and universities 
could be different from the teaching style of American colleges and universities.
Moreover, the relationship between students and professors in America is 
different from the relationship between students and professors in Korea. To find 
out the answers, I decided to come to the United States.
Therefore, 8 out of 30 Korean students really look for these kinds of experiences while 
they stay in the United States, and this reason made them come to America.
After reviewing the transcriptions of the 30 Korean students’ interviews, it seems 
that the majority of the Korean students individually decided to come to the United States.
However, 7 out of 30 Korean students did not intend to come to the United States; their 
parents asked them to study abroad in the United States. For instance, one of the 
7 students, Donald, mentioned: 
I really wanted to go to a college or university located on the Eastern Coast, so I 
applied for the University of Delaware through my Korean college. However, I 
failed to get this chance because of numerous applicants and high competition.
So, I thought that I would not go to the United States, but my parents kept asking 
me to apply for UNK. Even though UNK was not my preferred school, I have 
been in Kearney since Spring 2013 because of my parents’ passion for English 
education.
Furthermore, 2 out of the 7 students, Betty and Mark, were mainly influenced by their 
parents and relatives regarding studying abroad in the United States. Particularly, in 
Betty’s interview, she stated,
My uncle has lived in Australia over 20 years, and he always emphasizes the 
importance of English proficiency when we have a chance to meet in Korea.
Therefore, I decided to come to the United States and to improve my English 
skills. 


42 
The above statements show that some Korean parents are concerned about their 
children’s English proficiency.

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